1. Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a plug for a DC appliance for safely supplying DC power to an electric device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, power has been supplied to household appliances or electric devices of a general home by an AC power distribution system providing commercial power. The AC power distribution system supplies power to electric devices using a plug, a socket, a switch, etc. The electric device having received AC power converts AC power into DC power using a rectifier embedded therein. Typically, the AC power distribution system does not include a device for preventing arc from being generated in plug separation.
However, in the future, it is expected that the demand of a general home which desires to use DC power using a solar battery, a fuel cell, etc. will be rapidly increasing. DC power can reduce energy loss generated when a conventional AC power distribution system converts AC power into DC power. In the case of using AC power, provided that a unique power factor of a device is bad or poor although the device has the same power consumption, a generation end has to generate as much power as reactive power, resulting in energy inefficiency. Further, DC power can be easily stored, so that it can effectively cope with an emergency situation.
Due to these disadvantages, the number of household appliances including an inverter is rapidly increasing, and most digital devices use DC power.
Therefore, a plug suitable for DC power distribution is needed. The conventional DC power plug is identical in structure to the AC power plug, so that an in-rush current occurs in power distribution or an arc occurs in an unplugging operation, resulting in safety problems.